To Tell The Truth
by Jara
Summary: After four years of no note or word from her, Harm has to defend Meg in Iraq for an attempt on assassinating a general.
1. Part One

Disclaimers: The characters used here belong to David Belissario etc, I don't own them.  
  
Authors note: This is the first fanfiction I have ever written. I hope you like it, I speak Dutch so I hope I didn't make too many mistakes. Feel free to contact me with your feedback.  
  
Special note: Thank you Angel for reading this through and supporting me like you always do.  
  
Friday 22:30  
  
Iraq  
  
Meg looked around her nervously, the room was crowded and people were talking passionately with each other. She wondered what the discussions were about, although she had learned some Arabic during her mission they were talking too fast in a dialect she had trouble understanding. So she turned to her companion. He was also engaged in what looked like a heated conversation. Meg knew that everyone around her was excited about what was going to happen. If they had their way, the US would be engaged in a new Gulf War two weeks from now. It was Megs mission to prevent that. Everyone seemed to be having an occupied discussion about the future events so this would be her best chance. She placed her glass on the table in front of her and turned to her companion, placing her hand softly on his arm. He diverted his eyes from the dark man he was talking to. His dark eyes twinkled from the alcohol he had been drinking.  
  
"What is it, darling?" He asked her in his best English, an infatuated smile lighting up his face. Meg knew she was lucky he had been there. Over the past four years she had used all her charm to gain his trust. It had been hard but seeing that she was now on this party, it had been worth it. She was just happy she had succeeded in keeping him out of her bed.  
  
"Do you know where the bathroom is?" She replied, her hand gently caressing his arm as she forced herself to smile at him. It was hard to smile, she felt so nervous, so much depended on her succeeding tonight.  
  
Her companion nodded, he pointed to the stairs in the hall. "Go up the stairs, go to left and it's the third door on your right." Meg nodded and gave him a peck on his cheek before she left.  
  
She knew exactly where she had to be, it just wasn't the bathroom. She looked behind her making sure no one was following her before she climbed the stairs. She took left and entered the bathroom. She opened the tap and then left the bathroom again, closing the door behind her. Then she entered the door opposite to that. The room was completely dark but she knew where she was going. As silently as she could she approached the bed and knelt beside it. She put her purse down on the ground and took a black box out of it. A noise startled her, she heard footsteps in the hall. Meg drew in her breath and didn't move a muscle as she heard the footsteps pass by the room. Her hands were shaking and she felt a little beat of sweat run down her back. *They are gone,* she thought to herself. *Ok Lieutenant, pull yourself together, we're almost done. Place the bomb, walk out of here like nothing happened and before you know it you're on a plane back home.* Meg opened her eyes again and searched the box for a button to activate the bomb. As her finger felt what she was looking for, the door of the bedroom suddenly burst open. Three men barged in, aiming their spotlights and guns at Meg. They were yelling at her in Arabic, telling her to put down what she was holding and face them with her hands raised. Slowly she placed the box on the ground, she put her hands in the air and turned around slowly. The men were still yelling as she stood up as calm as she could. She held one hand in front of her eyes, trying to hold back the lights that they were aiming right in her face. Then three new men entered the room, one of them turned the lights on. Meg cursed under her breath, she knew there was no escaping now. She turned her face towards the window, considering if she would recover the fall fast enough to start running again. *Run to where?* A voice asked her, they were surrounded by the desert, even if she got out, she would never make it through that hell. She bit her lip angrily, four years of work down the drain, not to mention the lives of all the people who would be send to war.  
  
"I should have known it," one of the men that entered last finally spoke. He walked up to Meg and looked her in the eye. It was her companion, the man who had brought her this far, the man she had used for all those years. His name was Abdul-Aziz Zafir, an Iraqi admiral who served under Umarah, the man who was supposed to be sleeping in the bed she was going to blow up. Zafirs eyes were hard, he couldn't believe that in those four years he had never once considered Meg to be a spy. He yelled something in another dialect to the men who were still aiming their weapons at Meg. Then he turned back to her and grinned. Meg had seen that look in his eyes before, it terrified her but she pulled herself together. She wouldn't let him see her fear so she just stared in front of her, trying not to think about what would happen next. Zafir saw her stare right through him as if he wasn't there. He hated it to be ignored, he hated it how much his men would laugh with him for being deceived by a western woman. He balled his hand, his knuckles turning white and then he hit her right on her cheekbone. Meg staggered, she hadn't expected the blow. She tried not to lose her balance and keep to her feet. Zafir was laughing hard as he shouted something to the guards behind him, still in that dialect she didn't know. She heard them snigger as two hands grabbed each arm and pushed her out of the room. She knew they wouldn't take her to her hotel room.  
  
Two weeks later  
  
Monday 7:30am  
  
JAG headquarters  
  
Harm made his way towards his office, he picked up a cup of coffee along the way and took large steps to disappear as fast as possible into his office. Bud greeted him as he walked by his desk but Harm just mumbled a " 'morning" and kept speeding towards his goal. He made it, he closed the door behind him, put his hat on the desk and placed the cup right beside it. As he wanted to sit down, the door swung open and Mac entered.  
  
"Goodmorning," she said, "good to see you're on time."  
  
Harm wanted to reply but before he could say anything Mac went on.  
  
"The Admiral wants to speak to you. It seemed very important so you better go to him first."  
  
"He wanted to speak to me alone? About a case?" Harm picked up his cup and emptied it as fast as he could.  
  
"I'm not sure what it is he wanted to talk to you about, he just asked me to give you the message. So you better get going if you want to find out." She left the office again, leaving Harm behind with his questions. He picked up his hat again and made his way to admiral Chegwiddens office. He knocked on the door and immediately the admiral replied him to enter.  
  
"Lt. Commander Rabb reporting as ordered, sir." Harm greeted.  
  
"At ease Commander," Chegwidden replied, his face was looking serious. "Take a seat," he pointed to the chair in front of his desk. Harm complied and sat down, he studied the face of the admiral who didn't seem happy about what he was about to tell his officer.  
  
"OK, commander, lets cut to the chase. Do you remember Lt. Meg Austin?"  
  
Harm smiled, how could he forget his previous partner? "Of course, sir." Looking at the admirals face, he knew that something was wrong. His smile faded and a worried look replaced it.  
  
"The Lieutenant disappeared two weeks ago in Iraq…"  
  
Harm shifted uncomfortably in his chair, Meg had gone missing. How? Where? He had so many questions but he kept quiet, letting the admiral finish what he was saying.  
  
"As you might know, general Umarah was assassinated last friday. Now the Iraqi government is trying to place the blame on the US. Apparently they took Lt. Austin prisoner two weeks ago as she tried to place a bomb under the generals bed."  
  
"You mean she was on a mission, sir?" Harm was trying to comprehend the words he just heard.  
  
"According to these files, commander, she was acting on her own behalf." Chegwidden browsed through the files in front of him.  
  
"Then why is JAG involved, sir? I mean, if she wasn't acting out orders…" Harm didn't want to sound like he didn't want the case. On the contrary, if anyone had to defend Meg, he sure hoped it would be him. They had worked together for a year and he got to know her pretty well, he didn't want anything to happen to her. But did he know her well? He couldn't believe she would act out of her own. She must have had orders to do so but if the files said she wasn't that meant that she was working for secret service and they decided to sacrifice her for the greater good.  
  
Admiral Chegwidden knew what Harm was thinking, he feared the same. "I am hoping they will allow JAG to take this case." He paused for a second, looking Harm in the eye, "I am counting on you to make sure you will be allowed to take this case! Commander, you are the best shot Lt. Austin has got to get out of there. You and the Major are to fly over at once, your plane leaves in three hours."  
  
"Aye aye, sir." Harm replied.  
  
Chegwidden ended the formal talk there. "I want you to get her back home, Commander." The admiral said it quietly but he stressed on every word. He handed his officer the files and the airplane tickets to Baghdad.  
  
"Keep me posted, Commander Rabb," Chegwidden said as Harm was heading for the door.  
  
"I will, sir!" Harm replied, he looked over his shoulder at the admiral and saw the troubled look in his eyes. He knew how the admiral felt, he didn't like this at all.  
  
Monday 13:30  
  
Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean  
  
Harmon Rabb closed the file he had just read and pushed it back in the manila envelope. In the seat next to him Major Sarah MacKenzie was sipping from a glass of orange juice as she read through a copy of the files he has just finished reading. Harm felt tired as if he hadn't slept in days, his bones were aching and his stomach felt upset. For a second he considered he was airsick but the idea was ridiculous. Still, he wish it was that. The files he had just read didn't sound good. According to this Meg Austin was transferred to NCIS after she left JAG. It hadn't lasted long though, after six months she had been forced to resign from her function. Her official file didn't contain the reason why she had to leave but Admiral Chegwidden had managed to get hold of another file that did explain it all. According to this Meg had obstructed the investigation into a certain petty officer Abdul-Aziz Zafir. The man had been suspected to be a spy and saboteur for the Iraqi government. When the NCIS started investigating the case, it had soon become apparent that Meg was romantically involved with the petty officer. She was taken off the case and soon there was evidence against her that she was holding back evidence. Harm didn't know how or what happened next but the day after the accusations were made against her, she had resigned her post. NCIS had planned on arresting Meg the same day but she had just disappeared and so had petty officer Abdul-Aziz Zafir. So theory had it she had fled the country together with him. Now four years later she turned up in an Iraqi prison, captured for an attempt on assassinating general Umarah. Did Zafir have anything to with it? It had turned out that he was an admiral under Umarah. Maybe this was his attempt on getting a promotion? But why did Meg helped him out?  
  
"Harm, are you alright?" Mac asked with a worried voice. She looked at her partner who had become very pale and sat cramped up in his seat. He had been acting funny ever after he had come out of the briefing with the Admiral. Sarah had read the file on Lt. Meg Austin, she had been surprised to find out that she was the former partner of Harm. She knew this was bugging Harm, he probably couldn't accept how she could betray her country. But Bud had always spoken of Meg as a kind and loyal person, not someone who would be capable of doing this. "Harm?" She insisted.  
  
"Yes, Mac, I'm ok." Harm finally replied, he looked at his partner. Her brown eyes showed concern. "It's just …" Harm sighed, he could see Meg before him. The image he had of his junior partner didn't correspond with the Meg he read about in these files. She had been a very promising officer, she might have looked naïve but he was sure she wasn't. She had worked hard to get to Lieutenant and he couldn't see her toss it all away for a romance with an Iraqi. Or could she? Her leaving JAG had been very sudden and he never understood why she left without saying a word to anyone. Did that have anything to do with this?  
  
Harm hadn't noticed he had been quiet for a long time when Mac asked him: "It's just what?"  
  
He startled and snapped out of his train of thoughts. "It's just that Meg, I mean Lt. Austin, isn't the person to do this. All these files, that isn't the officer I knew." He said it without hesitating although he was doubting everything right now, he knew he felt this way deep down. Meg wasn't a traitor, she would never do this. There had to be an explanation, something these files didn't tell them.  
  
"I can understand you feel disappointed, betrayed even. She was your partner for a year and…"  
  
Harm didn't let her finish. "Yes, she was my partner," he interrupted. "And I knew her, Mac. She would never do this. You don't work with someone that long without getting to know them at least a little. I KNEW Meg well enough to be sure she would never betray me or her country. She didn't do this, Mac. I know that without a doubt. These files are holding back something and we're going to find out what!" He sounded determined, his eyes were flaming with anger.  
  
Mac knew he had made up his mind and arguing would not get her anywhere. Still, she couldn't help wondering if he was the right person to take on this case. He was emotionally involved, to say the least. Would he be capable of seeing the truth when he found it? "Harm, do you think you could handle finding out she isn't the person she let you believe she was? Or you sure you can take on this case and remain objective?"  
  
Harm didn't reply at first, he knew what Mac was insinuating. What if Meg was guilty? What if she really had been playing a role all the time she was his partner? Harm shook his head, trying to get rid of the doubts. He felt sick just considering them. "Mac, I don't think I have a choice. If she wasn't who she let me believe she was, then I'm sure I want to know no matter how much it would hurt. The thing is, the admiral made it clear that I have to take on this case. I am the best chance she had, and I'm not going to let her down."  
  
He had spoken slowly, his voice almost whispering but Mac knew what had driven him to say these things. She knew he would do the best he could but his loyalty lay with Meg and he would do everything in his power to get her out of there. She hoped he would succeed. After seeing the hurt in his eyes, she couldn't but believe that Meg Austin wasn't guilty of treason. If Harm believed in her this much, she would too. She owed him that much. So Mac just nodded and for a brief moment took Harms hand and squeezed it showing her support. Harm smiled, a soft twinkle returning in them. "We'll get her out." Mac told him reassuringly. 


	2. Part Two

PART TWO  
  
Wednesday 7:30 local time  
  
A couple of miles outside Baghdad, Iraq  
  
Harm got out of the bathroom, they only had arrived at this residence three hours ago. Mac had headed straight to her room to catch some sleep. He had tried it but after two hours of tossing and turning he had given up. He walked to the window, a towel around his waist as he rubbed his short hair dry. As he pushed the curtain to the side, he saw armed men walking in the garden around the house.  
  
Harm wondered where exactly they had been brought.  
  
A small group of men had waited for them at the airport and escorted them to a black car. They must have driven about 20 minutes, he was sure Mac knew better how long the drive had lasted. He didn't think this was a hotel as there hadn't been a counter in the hall. So he guessed he was in someone's private residence. Security seemed to be high, he knew there were two guards waiting outside his door and probably two more at Macs room. He walked away from the window and sat down on the unmade bed. Then he reached for the telephone on the nightstand and pushed the zero. Immediately a voice replied in what seemed to be fluent English.  
  
"How can I help you Lt. Commander Rabb?"  
  
*Seems like the personnel is well informed,* Harm thought to himself. "Can I speak to Major MacKenzie, please?" he asked.  
  
"Just a minute." The operator connected Harms call through to Macs room. Harm could hear the phone ringing through the walls.  
  
"MacKenzie," a tired voice replied automatically.  
  
"Hiya Mac, it's Harm!" He didn't know what else to say at the moment.  
  
Mac sniggered on the other side of the phone and he could see her roll her eyes. "I figured that much, Harm." She replied a bit annoyed. "I take it you want to go see Lt Austin?" She didn't ask it really, she knew he was dying to speak to Meg.  
  
"You read my mind!" Harm laughed. "Meet me outside?"  
  
Mac knew it wasn't a question either, she nodded forgetting he couldn't see her and hang up the phone. She woke up earlier to the sound of the shower in Harms room and had figured Harm would be eager to get his teeth into this case so she was fully dressed now. She picked up her briefcase and headed out of the door. As she closed the door behind her, she heard Harm close his too. She turned towards him to see him still buttoning up his khaki shirt. Before Mac could say anything to her partner, a man in military uniform entered the hall, two armed escorts following a few steps behind. Harm gave Mac a meaningful look. The fact that this man arrived here the second they left their room meant they were being watched. Their rooms were most likely bugged.  
  
"Good morning Major MacKenzie, Lt. Commander Rabb!" He bowed his head in respect. "Admiral Seif al Din is waiting to see you." The officer stepped aside and invited the two lawyers to follow him. Harm and Mac looked at each other and shrugged before following the officer. They were lead down the stairs and brought into a large room. The walls were in white chalk. Although the architecture looked eastern all the furniture seemed to be western. Their guide gave them a short nod before leaving the room again, closing the double doors behind him.  
  
"I hope you have slept well even if it was a short night for all of us," a deep but warm voice spoke. Harm hadn't even noticed the middle aged man sitting in an armchair before a fireplace that seemed to be very much out of place in this climate. As Harm inspected the interior he forgot to answer the question. Luckily Mac kept her head with the situation and Harm heard her reply that the rooms were very nice and comfortable. "Please take a seat, Major, Commander." The man spoke gently as he pointed to the leather coach opposite to his chair. The lawyers both sat down like the man requested. Harm now turned his full attention to his host. He was wearing a green military uniform, the two stars on his shoulders indicating his rank of Admiral. He had the face of a man who had seen a lot of war and Harm new that most likely was the case too. Still, there was something in his eyes that seemed to show a kindness that went with his voice. The Admiral opened a wooden box standing on the table next to his armchair. "Can I interest you in a cigar?" Although Harm could use one right now he declined, he needed to stay alert. As Mac shook her head, the Admiral took out a cigar and lit it, taking it in his mouth an quietly enjoying it. Harm moved nervously, he wanted to get to business, he was sure the Admiral didn't invite them here to smoke a cigar. As if he had guessed Harms thoughts the Admiral sat straight up in his chair, playing with the cigar between his fingers.  
  
"I am Admiral Seif al Din," he introduced himself. He pointed around the room as he continued to talk. "This is my home, if you have any complaints just come to me and I will make sure you get what you want. But I don't think you will be staying here long." He added the last sentence with a smile on his lips and he tugged at his cigar again.  
  
"And why would you think that?" Mac asked sharply.  
  
The Admirals eyes lit up. "I do not believe that military lawyers have anything to do with this case. Meg Austin hasn't been a Lieutenant, like your partner called her, in four years. So you can stay here and follow the trial when her real lawyers get here or you can get a plane back home later today. I will see to the arrangements."  
  
Harm interrupted Admiral Seif al Din. "We are not going anywhere, sir. AND we will be taking on this case, whether you like it or not." He felt Macs eyes looking at him, he knew she didn't like the tone he was using.  
  
"What my partner means is that we were hoping you would let us take on this case as Meg Austin was a lawyer at JAG just like us. Our government thought we would be her best defence." Mac hoped that the Admiral hadn't taken offence and would be open to reason.  
  
"I am well aware of Meg Austins past and I do understand that Lt. Commander Rabb wants to help out a friend." Seif al Din answered. He had put down his cigar as he understood that these two lawyers wouldn't give up the case without a fight. "However the Iraqi government does not have time for reunions. You will call your superiors and tell them we want a civilian lawyer on this case. We will not discuss anything before this is done!"  
  
Harm noticed that the gentleness in the Admirals voice had disappeared. There was a determination now in his tone, this was not going to be an easy trial. "I do not think you are in the position to make any demands, sir." Harm said as a matter of fact.  
  
The Admiral eyes widened, then he let out a sneer. "And you are, Commander?"  
  
Harm ignored the question and smiled with a gleam in his eyes. "You know what the problem with the US justice is, sir?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Civilian lawyers they love to play the public opinion. I'm sure whatever lawyer the government would chose to defend Meg Austin would just love to get this much media attention." Mac knew where Harm was going with this. She noticed how the Admiral tried to keep his cool exterior as he put out his cigar in the ashtray with a bit too much force. "Now we JAG lawyers," Harm continued, "we were sent here with the orders to keep things discrete. I'm sure you prefer keeping this case out of the media. So if you don't mind, we would like to speak to our client right away."  
  
Harm got up from the chair, ending the discussion with this gesture. He saw Mac getting up too and as they both wanted to turn towards the doors, the Admiral followed their example. He stopped only a step away from Harm, looking him straight in the eye. "I do not believe you would dare to do that. You do not want the Middle East and the Arabic communities to hear about an American spy going after one of our generals, Commander Rabb."  
  
It was now Mac who replied. "I think we all know that the public opinion in the Middle East can go either way, Admiral. It can work against us but it might as well blow up in your face. On the other side I'm sure that the US will support a civilian who tried to stop a major incident with Iraq." Her voice was as always soft and calm but she said it with a determination that could make a scientist wonder if the earth was really round.  
  
"You are both bluffing," the Admiral tried to sound sure of his case.  
  
Harm simply smiled and responded as he took a step closer to the Admiral. "Maybe we are, Admiral. But can you risk calling our bluff?" He looked the Admiral in the eye, seeing the doubt as he considered his options.  
  
"Have it your way, Commander. You can defend Meg Austin. My officer will accompany you to the prison where she is held." the Admiral barked it out. At the same moment the double door opened and the officer stepped inside the room.  
  
Harm shrugged, this place was crawling with bugs, he was sure unless this guy was telepathic. He nodded as he thanked the Admiral, his voice didn't hold one bit of gratitude though. "Thank you, Admiral. I knew we would understand each other."  
  
Then he turned on his heels and followed Mac who had already walked up to the officer. As soon as Harm joined them, the officer led them towards the hall.  
  
"If you would wait here please, I'll have to make some arrangements for our transports." The officer didn't wait for a reply and simply headed for the door. Before he could leave the hall, Mac called out to him. He turned again, looking at the Major. "Is there anything else I can get you, Major MacKenzie?"  
  
Mac nodded, "As a matter of fact, I have a question for you." The officer waited for Mac to continue, looking a bit nervous not knowing what his guest wanted from him. "I do not think you told us your name, sir."  
  
The officer chuckled and gave Mac a huge smile. "My name is Siddig Rafiq, Major. I am at your service." He put weight to his words by giving Mac a short bow. Then he opened the door and disappeared to see if the car was ready.  
  
"Seems like you just made friends," Harm commented as he approached Mac.  
  
"Jealous?" Mac asked him flatly. She laughed out loud seeing the stunned look on Harms face. "Call it intuition but I think that young officer can help make our stay here a lot more pleasant."  
  
Harm raised his eyebrows and tried to look hurt, he took a step forward standing very close to Mac. "You mean I'm not pleasant enough?" Mac snorted, Harm leaned in smiling as he spoke to her again. "Was that remark about 'a major incident with Iraq' also intuition?" He spoke softly hoping no bug would catch their conversation.  
  
"Never underestimate a woman's intuition, Commander." Mac whispered back laughing. She went on more serious, "Judging by his response I don't think I was far off." She saw Harm nod as he agreed with her. "How about that bluff of yours? How did you know he wouldn't want the media on this?"  
  
Harm grinned. "We're in an Admirals private home, Major. If they wanted the media on this, they wouldn't have brought us here. Besides, they seem to be keeping this top secret."  
  
"I don't think we want the media on this either, Harm." She tried to calculate the effects it would have if it turned out that Meg was acting for the US government.  
  
"I know but I rather have them on it than let Meg down on this one. There's something not right about this case, Mac."  
  
"Is that your intuition speaking?"  
  
Harm laughed: "Never underestimate a pilot's intuition, Major." He took a step back from Mac as he saw Siddig Rafiq enter the hall again.  
  
"Red light, Commander Rabb." Mac snapped at him.  
  
Harm looked at her bedazzled. "Red light? You just gave me a red light?" He watched her in disbelief as she walked up to the officer with a big grin on her face.  
  
11:45 local time  
  
A secret prison outside of Baghdad, Iraq.  
  
Harm threw the guard a dirty look as he waited for Mac to join him. They had searched him for the fourth time to see if he wasn't wearing any weapons. As if that wasn't bad enough, this last guard had decided his wings could be dangerous. He wondered if there had ever been an outbreak using golden wings. He could only imagine the damage you could inflict with them. Finally Mac came out of the room where a female guard had body searched her *again*.  
  
Mac started laughing when she saw the angry look on Harms face. "What's wrong? You look like a kid who just got robbed of his favourite toy."  
  
"That idiot took my wings," Harm mumbled through his teeth, pointing to where he normally wore them.  
  
Mac rolled her eyes. "You'll get them back later." Then she gave Harm a nudge to get him to follow Siddig Rafiq who had accompanied them this far. He stopped in front of a metal door that was guarded by two soldiers.  
  
"Meg Austin is waiting in here," he simply said, then he stepped aside. One of the guards opened the door and stepped aside to let them enter the room. 


	3. Part Three

PART THREE  
  
11:40 local time  
  
A secret prison outside Baghdad, Iraq.  
  
The guard pushed Meg inside the room, he pointed at the chair and shouted in Arabic that she should sit down. Her lawyers would be coming soon. She asked him to take off her handcuffs but he just laughed and left the room, slamming the door behind him. Meg looked around her, the walls of the cell were dirty grey like every room in this place. There were three chairs placed around a wooden table. As there was no window in the room, the only light came from a TL-lamp that was buzzing through the silence. She had one exactly like it in her prison-cell and it drove her crazy. In the corner of the room she noticed a surveillance camera, the place was probably crawling with bugs (the electronic kind).  
  
Her wrists hurt from the handcuffs. She took a look at her wrists and wondered if she ever had been so skinny. Her hands were dirty even if she spent a whole morning trying to get them clean again. This dust just seemed to stick on you no matter what you did. How she longed for a long hot bath. Maybe her lawyers would be able to get her out and take her back home. She shook her head at her own thoughts. No, she wasn't going home. She knew it four years ago when she bought the ticket to Iraq that chances were that it would be a one way ticket. She wondered who her government would send to make the final cover up plans. Wait, had the guard said lawyers? More than one?  
  
She sighed, that thought brought back memories of her time at JAG. What she would give now to have Harm here as her lawyer. But she knew it was pointless, it had all been clear from day one. "Don't expect any back up, Lieutenant." She still heard him say it out loud.  
  
All of a sudden the metal door which she had entered only a couple of minutes ago was thrown open. She heard some soft mumbling as she stared into the corridor curious to see who would be "defending" her. For a second Meg felt the world spinning around her. Could it be? She drew in her breath as she saw her former partner standing in the doorframe. For a brief moment she felt happy to see him. It had been so long since she had left JAG without any word but she didn't have a choice. The moment soon passed though, this was going to make things complicated. Harm wouldn't give up on her, he would not take the lies she had to feed him. She suddenly found it hard to breathe, the thought of lying to him made her nauseous.  
  
Lt. Commander Rabb Jr. had stopped dead in his tracks when he saw his former partner Meg Austin sitting behind the worn table. Just for a split second as their eyes crossed he had seen relief and excitement in Megs eyes. At least, he thought he had seen that. Soon the smile on her face faded and her eyes seemed to turn dark and sad. He hesitantly entered the room, gazing at Meg. It felt good to see her again. He never thought he would meet her again, certainly not like this. He took in the soft features of her face, remembering every curve but not those bruises. It didn't seem like she had major injuries but still the bruises told him they were handling her rough. The only thing he could think right now was to get her out of here and get the bastards who did this to her.  
  
Mac started to feel uncomfortable; both Harm and Meg were examining each other carefully. Neither of them had spoken for what seemed like an eternity, they had just observed each other as if they were trying to telepathically guess what the other had been up to since the last time they saw each other. Although Mac understood that they wanted to figure out what happened during that time, she also knew that this wasn't the place or the time. So she shifted her weight to her other foot as she coughed, alerting Harm and Meg that there was someone else in the room.  
  
Harm woke up out of his thoughts by Macs less than subtle hint. "I'm sorry," he stammered. "Lieutenant Austin, meet my new partner Major Sarah MacKenzie."  
  
Meg lifted her head sharply, her blue eyes meeting his. Of course Harm would have been assigned to a new partner after she left. She just had tried not to think about it. She turned towards Mac. "Nice to meet you, Major. Although I wish it were under other circumstances." She smiled wryly at Mac, who returned her smile. Then Meg shifted her attention again to her former partner. "It's not Lieutenant, Harm. I am not in the army anymore." She wondered if that sounded convincing.  
  
Harm merely nodded. He needed to pull himself together, he had to concentrate on this case to get her out of here. Then he could ask her personal questions. But he didn't know where to start. She had just confirmed that she wasn't in the navy anymore. He just couldn't believe it, she never was a good liar, not to him anyway. Sure she could make up good excuses to cover up for him on his lunchbreaks and she could bluff her way through a situation but he knew her too well not to see that she was lying to him. He pulled away one of the chairs on the opposite side of the table from Meg and sat down.  
  
"Excuse me, Miss Austin. Can I ask you a question?" Mac interrupted yet another awkward silence. She figured that things might go more easily if she left them to themselves. She hoped it would help Harm to pull himself together again. He had been acting weirdly ever since he heard about this case. Although she could understand that it was hard for him, this really wasn't the time for him to wrestle with personal feelings.  
  
"Sure, Major. Fire away. And it's Meg!" Unconsciously Meg rubbed her sore wrists but stopped right away when she saw Harm staring at her hands.  
  
"Meg," Mac corrected herself. "I'm assuming you lived somewhere during your three year stay here. Could you give the address? I would like to see if I could find any evidence there that could help your case."  
  
Meg shook her head. "I have lived in different hotelrooms the last few years either that or…" She stopped for a brief moment looking at Harm again, she was sure the files Harm had seen talked about it. "Or with Admiral Abdul-Aziz Zafir. I'm pretty sure they turned my last hotelroom inside out after my capture though." She kept looking at Harm seeing him clench his teeth together. She wished she could explain about Zafir, about what was going on but she couldn't.  
  
"I think you are probably right. I will go and try to find out where they keep your possessions and whether or not I can have a look at them." Before Harm could object Mac turned towards the metal door and knocked on it waiting for someone to open it. Siddig Rafiq opened the door right away letting the Major leave the room, she gazed at him for a second surprised that he responded so quickly.  
  
Harm got up instantly and called out to Rafiq. "Could you please get these handcuffs off my client?" He asked pleadingly. Rafiq hesitated for a second but then nodded. He gave an order to one of the guards who handed him a small key. Rafiq threw the keys in Harms hands and then closed the metal door again, leaving them alone.  
  
Harm walked up to Meg who was still sitting on the chair, holding the keys in his right hand. She turned towards him, their eyes meeting again. Then Harm squatted down right in front of Meg, their eyes still locked. He gently reached out and took Megs hands into his, he felt Meg shiver lightly as he cupped her hands with his. Meg looked down at her former partner, he was gazing up at her still, his hazel eyes looking worried. Now she felt his fingertips ever so lightly brush over her arms. She wondered if he was really aware of what he was doing, if he knew that his light touch made her for just a brief second forget where she was. Then before she knew it he broke eyecontact and looked at her wrists. He quickly took off the handcuffs and placed them on the table, the key beside them. She withdrew her hands and rubbed her wrists.  
  
Harm got up again and sat down on the chair. He knew that what had just happened was their way of breaking the ice between them. They didn't have to say a word to talk to each other, it had always been like that. It was still like that. The uncomfortable side of the silence had dropped away and Harm knew he could finally start talking about the case. He took a deep breath and wondered where to begin.  
  
"I take it you know what charges are being pressed against you?" Meg nodded in response. "And did you do it?" The question sounded ridiculous but somehow he kept wishing that she would say it wasn't true at all. It would make things a lot easier. He kept his eyes fixed on Megs face, she was looking down at her hands. After a while she nodded again.  
  
"So you somehow gained the confidence of Admiral Zafir and got yourself invited to this party at General Umarah's private residence. There you decided: 'What the heck, while I'm here I might as well put a bomb under his bed?'" Meg remained quiet so Harm got of his chair again and started to pace around the room. "Do you really want me to believe that you were acting on your own behalf? That you made up this plan and acted on it too?"  
  
Harm stopped pacing and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed in front of him. He saw Meg clenching her teeth together as she seemed to be thinking what to reply. After a minute she finally looked up looking straight into Harms eyes. She bit her lip, then he saw her face become hard as she seemed to have made up her mind.  
  
"Yes, I did." Meg tried to sound sure of herself. She felt her heart racing, she knew he wouldn't take this answer but he would have to.  
  
Harm looked at her, narrowing his eyes as he tried to figure out why she was doing this. He pulled away from the wall and walked up to the table. "Meg, please …" he spoke softly but determined as he placed his hands on the table, leaning closer to her. Meg shook her head in reply. Then he saw her gaze to something behind him. He turned around and saw the surveillance camera in the corner of the room. He nodded that he understood.  
  
"But it doesn't matter, sir. Even if there weren't any…" She stopped her sentence abruptly and looked down nervously at her hands.  
  
"You're not in the military any more, remember? You don't have to call me sir!" Harm was starting to get annoyed. He needed to talk to her in private, without anyone listening in on them. He got the feeling that even if he did get to speak to her alone it might be hard to get her to tell him what was really going on.  
  
"Sorry, force of habit." Meg smiled weakly at her ex-partner. She saw his face soften again as he looked at her.  
  
"I'll get you out of here, Meg. I promise!" He said it seriously, his gaze fixed on hers.  
  
Meg closed her eyes, she knew he meant that but she also knew that it wouldn't happen. "Don't make promises unless you can keep them, Harm." She looked up at him and saw his stunned expression. "I know you'll do everything you can for me and you're a great lawyer. But sometimes the ruling of the judge is set before the trial even begins. Don't beat yourself up over this if things don't go the way you want them to."  
  
Harm became quiet after those words. It seemed Meg had given up on ever getting home again. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to organise his thoughts. Finally he walked around the table again and squatted down in front of Meg like he had done a little while ago.  
  
"I need to know Meg, you need to tell me the truth. Did you act on your own behalf or were you on a secret mission? Please, Meg, tell me what is going on." He spoke softly but looked her in the eye pleadingly. Meg bowed her head, bringing her face inches away from his. He saw something in her eyes that wasn't there before. Then he felt her softly stroke his cheek.  
  
"Please don't do this, Harm. I'm sorry but some things you're better off not knowing." She replied softly, he felt her breath on his face. He took hold of her hand wanting to insist further when the metal door banged open.  
  
One of the guards entered the room and started screaming something at Harm and Meg. Rafiq hurried in behind him and tried to calm down the soldier without luck.  
  
Meg withdrew her hand from Harms grasp. "He says we have to keep our distance or this conversation will be over right now."  
  
Harm looked amazed at Meg who had just fluently translated the gibberish the guard had yelled at them. He looked at Rafiq who just nodded confirming Megs translation. Harm stood up, walked to the other side of the table and sat down again. Then he gestured the guard that he was sitting. The soldier snorted and turned on his heels leaving the room again. Harm saw Rafiq linger at the door then the officer finally spoke.  
  
"Sir, maybe it would be a good idea to take a break. I know a place where you can have a quiet lunch. We can come back after that so you can resume your conversation with your client. The Major is waiting in the hall for you and I'm sure she could use something to eat as well." Harm didn't reply, he felt hesitant about leaving Meg. Sure she wasn't going anywhere, at least he hoped she wouldn't. Still, he hated leaving her in this place.  
  
"Rafiq is right, Harm. We could all use a break."  
  
Harm sighed deeply. "Yeah, I know. I want to find out if the Major found anything we can work with anyway."  
  
"Very unlikely, sir." Meg replied softly.  
  
Harm chose to ignore what she just said. "I'll see you in two hours, ok?"  
  
"I'll be waiting!" She grinned at him.  
  
Harm softly laughed as he moved towards the door. Just before he wanted to leave, Meg called out to him. "Harm, I just want you to know how much it means to me to have you here defending me."  
  
Harm turned around and flashed his flyboy smile at her. "Me too, Meg. Me too." He replied and then left the room.  
  
13:15 local time  
  
Eating house, outskirts of Baghdad, Iraq.  
  
Harm took a sip from a steaming cup of tea. He much rather would have had a cool glass of water but the Major had objected to that. She said unless he wanted to get sick he'd better drink boiled water as there wasn't any bottled in the restaurant. At least he thought it was a restaurant, he wasn't sure. They were the only customers in the place but maybe the on edge looking officer had something to do with that. One thing was sure, he just had a wonderful meal although he couldn't possibly pronounce the name.  
  
"So, what have you found out, Major?" Harm asked Mac. They had just discussed Harms conversation with Meg or better the lack of conversation. Meg hadn't exactly been co-operative.  
  
"Not much," Mac replied. "They searched the hotelroom like I suspected and they have kept her things. Only they told me I would have to wait till 2pm, apparently they're keeping it safe and they needed time to get it all together. They said they only found some clothes, books and personal letters. Nothing further, not even equipment to put together the bomb she made. I'm hoping the letters might mention something, we'll have to wait and see."  
  
"Do you think they're keeping things from us?"  
  
"Who knows," Mac answered flatly.  
  
Harm frowned as he thought things through. He put the cup of tea down on the table but kept holding it. His gaze still fixed on the cup he spoke again. "Do they still have the bomb?"  
  
"I was wondering about that too. I asked them but they told me they neutralized it and destroyed the parts."  
  
"Yeah sure." Harm said with a sarcastic tone. "Well, how about you look through her personal stuff. See if there isn't something in her clothes, maybe a note or something. And try to get hold of those letters! They seem to be the only thing that could help us along. I'll try and see if I can get something useful out of Meg."  
  
"Seems like the best shot we've got. We're not getting anywhere with this unless Meg tells us the truth, Harm. You got to get her talking!"  
  
Harm nodded, he let his fingertip follow the edge of the cup. "I know but she's so closed at the moment. It's weird, she has always been an open person." He clenched his teeth together. "The bugs aren't helping either, if only I could talk to her in private."  
  
Mac saw Harms eyes lit up, he lifted up his head and called out to Rafiq. "Can I help you, Commander Rabb?" The loyal officer asked as he came up to their table.  
  
"I'm hoping you can, Rafiq." Harm smiled. "Take a seat and join us, please." He pointed to the empty chair at the head of the table. Rafiq complied but turned down the cup of tea Harm wanted to pour him out.  
  
Mac leaned back in her chair, she was curious about what Harm was up to. So she decided to sit back and watch her partner in action. He had a mischievous smile twirling around his lips.  
  
"Rafiq, I get the impression that you can make our lives here a lot easier." Harm started.  
  
Rafiq smiled and nodded. "Yes, sir. That is my task for as long as you are here."  
  
"That's good to know! Now, I have a problem and I'm hoping you can help me out." Harm paused on that sentence and took another sip from his tea. He kept his eyes on Rafiq, trying to calculate whether or not his little plan would work.  
  
"I will do what I can, sir." The officer replied sincerely.  
  
"I was hoping you'd say that. The deal is, I want to talk to my client in private. And I'm hoping you could arrange that." Rafiq seemed to want to object but Harm didn't give him a chance. "Now I'm sure you can get us a room without anyone eavesdropping on our conversations."  
  
"Are you asking me to disobey an order of my commanding officer and risk my carrier, sir?" Rafiq replied insulted but confirming Harms suspicions about the presence of bugs.  
  
It was Mac who replied now. "No Rafiq, we are simply asking you to convince your commanders of following the American justice system. As Meg Austin is an American citizen she has the right to speak to her lawyer in confidence. It is this principal that makes it possible for a lawyer to defend his client in the best way that he possibly can. This right is one of the cornerstones of the US law. Now Rafiq, I am sure your superiors are just not aware of this right and they would appreciate it if you could inform them about it. They wouldn't want to violate the fragile trust that is slowly growing between our two nations again. If this trial can go smoothly without any incidents, I'm sure it will benefit us both." As always Mac sounded very calm as she talked. Still, the overly kindness emanating from her statement made it clear that there was a danger if they would try to go against her advice.  
  
Rafiq smiled wryly. "I understand what you mean, Major. I will see to it that everything will go smoothly. I give you my word that you will be able to talk to your client in complete confidence." The officer stood up but added before he left the two lawyers. "That of course does not include the surveillance camera. I think you can understand that it is there for safety reasons."  
  
"Of course," Mac replied. She nodded and followed his figure as he left the room.  
  
"Not a bad bluff, Mac. Do you think he means it?" Harm asked his partner who seemed to be caught up in her thoughts.  
  
"I think he was sincere." Mac said but she was still frowning.  
  
"Intuition again?"  
  
"As a matter of fact, yes." Mac smiled at Harm who threw her a suspicious look.  
  
15:25 local time  
  
A secret prison outside Baghdad, Iraq.  
  
Mac gently massaged the muscles of her sore neck. The table in front of her was covered with letters. She had been reading them for about an hour now. As soon as they had arrived in the prison after lunch Harm had headed down to talk to Meg. Mac had decided to leave this first private conversation to her partner. From what she could tell, Meg was being very closed up and she hoped that she might confide in Harm seeing he was her partner and friend. So Mac had decided to see if she could find anything in Megs personal belongings. The clothes and books had given her absolutely nothing. So she hoped that these letters would do it.  
  
She took a look again at the pile in front of her and sighed. From what she could tell the correspondence was very regular. There seemed to be a letter for every week. Seeing Meg had been in Iraq for three and a half years, Mac estimated there were about 182 letters in front of her. Mac had been amazed when she started reading. Up till now all those letters came from one and the same person. Who he was, Mac was one hundred percent sure it was a man, she couldn't tell though. Not one letter was signed with a name. The signature was always the same: "yours".  
  
The room Mac was in now was quite similar to the one where she had talked to Meg three hours and fifteen minutes ago. Only this one was a bit smaller and did have a long but low window against the ceiling. Mac looked up as the door opened. She had sent for Rafiq about 13 minutes ago and now the officer entered the room.  
  
"You asked for me, Major MacKenzie?" The young Iraqi officer asked her kindly.  
  
"Yes, I did. I was wondering if it would be possible to take these letters with me. I would like to read them all through but I think it would be a lot easier if I could continue reading them in the evening."  
  
Rafiq nodded. "I understand. I do not think that will be a problem but I will make sure with my superiors. I could save you some trouble though. Although those letters are very nicely written." The officer stopped for a while and threw Mac a broad grin. "There is nothing useful in them. We already had a team read them through."  
  
"Thank you for the information but all the same I would like to make sure for myself." Mac answered the officer.  
  
"As you wish, Major. I will now return to my duties, I will come and get you and your letters when Commander Rabb is done interrogating Meg Austin." With those words the young officer left the room again. Just before he closed the door behind him, he quickly said to the Major, laughingly: "Enjoy your read."  
  
Mac shook her head, not being aware that she was blushing. She knew what Rafiq was insinuating. It had been much against her expectations when she had read the first letter. For the past hour Mac had been reading love letters. *Passionate love letters,* Mac corrected herself. From what Harm had told her about Meg, she always thought the Lieutenant was a 'nice, innocent' girl. But these letters were written with fire. At least even if she didn't find anything that could help the trial, she wouldn't have been reading something boring. If all the letters were like this, it was safe to say that Meg Austin was involved in a very serious relationship. Now if only she could find out who with. 


	4. Part Four

PART FOUR  
  
Wednesday 14:45 local time  
  
A secret prison outside Baghdad, Iraq.  
  
Two armed guards led Meg Austin through the dull grey corridors of the prison. They were not taking her to the same room as before, instead they seemed to be bringing her to the cafeteria. She had eaten there the first day she came to the prison, that was about five days ago. Her presence had caused a lot of disturbance as this wasn't a women's prison, so the overseer had decided it was best if she stayed in her cell. Since then her regular meals of gruel, bread and water had been brought up to her.  
  
They came to a stop in front of the iron door of the cafeteria, they had to wait a second before the door automatically rolled open. The guard at her right took hold of her elbow and pushed Meg inside the cafeteria. She tried shaking herself lose but it only made the guard squeeze her arm harder. He roughly made her stop in front of Harm and Rafiq and then turned on his heels, taking his post by the door. Meg glared after him before turning her attention to the two officers who seemed to be engaged in a serious argument. None the less, she noticed that Harm was looking at her instead of Rafiq.  
  
"I'm sorry, Commander. This is the best that I could do. I can guarantee you that no one is listening in on you here. There are four surveillance camera's though, but my superiors didn't want to give those up."  
  
Meg saw the annoyed expression on Harms face. She remembered how stubborn he could get and she pitied Rafiq. "It will have to do then… for now!" Harm growled at the young officer. "Now, if you don't mind. My client is here and I would like to speak to her." With that he dismissed Rafiq and turned his attention fully to Meg. The annoyed look in his eyes faded for a second as he gently placed his hand on her arm where not long ago the guard had held her. Without even realising it, his thumb softly caressed Megs arm through her blue shirt. "Lets sit down," he suggested, his voice was warm again. Meg nodded and took a seat on one of the benches placed next to a long table. It reminded her of the cafeteria at the military academy, maybe even of high school. Harm had crossed the table and sat down right on the other side.  
  
"According to Rafiq we won't have anyone listening in on us here," he told her. His eyes went to the guards by the door. They seemed to be far away enough to not be able to overhear them, still to be sure he kept his voice low. "I'm not sure if I believe him or not."  
  
"I think you can trust him," Meg replied sounding too sure of herself.  
  
Harm looked at her in surprise. "Let me guess: intuition?"  
  
Meg blushed. "Something like it."  
  
"Yeah, Mac is telling me the same. But I'm not sure, something tells me Rafiq isn't who he is saying he is."  
  
"Well, just keep alert. I have found that things can be complicated here. A lot of people are pretending to be someone else." Megs voice sounded bitter, a tone Harm had never before heard. It made him wonder what she had been through since she had left JAG and now it was time to find out. Harm took a small recorder out of his briefcase and placed it in the middle of the table. Meg chuckled at the sight of it. "I see you brought your own bug with you," she remarked.  
  
Harm laughed. "I know, I just want to make sure I don't forget anything."  
  
"I can't remember you ever did." Meg said it without thinking, she quickly turned away from Harms piercing eyes and looked at her hands. She bit her lip as she regained control. For a second Meg felt like she wasn't the client, that she was working on a case with Harm again. Although the remark was far from flirting, she had that familiar feeling again that always seemed to have been present whenever Harm was around her.  
  
Harm noticed how Meg drew back again. Just for a second there it had seemed like she was the old Meg again, the one he had worked with. He gave her a smile. "Thanks. Now how about we get started?" He broke the awkward moment by going back to business. Meg just nodded in reply. "Lets start with the beginning?" Harm proposed as he pushed the record-key on the recorder.  
  
Meg looked up again at Harm and nodded. "I think that would be when I was assigned at NCIS to investigate petty officer Abdul-Aziz Zafir." She spoke softly, all the while trying to avoid looking straight into Harms questioning eyes.  
  
Before Harm realised what he was doing, he blurted it out. "Why did you transfer from JAG?" He wanted to kick himself for his impulsive question as he saw Meg draw totally back from him.  
  
"The opportunity presented itself." She replied matter of fact but she was nearly whispering the words. Meg was staring so intensely at her hands that he thought she would make them disappear by just looking at them.  
  
"The opportunity presented itself!" Harm repeated in a loud snort. It wasn't really the answer he had wanted to hear from her. He wanted to get Meg to explain what she meant with it but when he looked at her he saw she was sitting immobile on the bench. His annoyance ebbed away seeing her like that and he decided to keep away from the personal questions from now on. So he continued his interrogation on a different path. "What was the case about?" Harm knew the answer but he wanted to hear it from Megs mouth.  
  
"NSA had contacted us, they had gathered information that proved there was an Iraqi spy onboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt. They already had their suspect too. As the ship was docked at Norfolk and searching for a new weapons specialist, they thought it would be best if I would go undercover to spy on the spy." Meg seemed to relax more but still sat tense avoiding eyecontact with Harm.  
  
"It wasn't a formal investigation?" Harm remembered the files Admiral Chegwidden had given him on his debriefing. Although the nature of the case suggested that Meg had led a formal investigation, there wasn't really anything in there to deny that she wasn't.  
  
"No, I take it you didn't know that." Meg concluded out of the surprised look on Harms face.  
  
"No, I didn't. The files suggested you lead a formal investigation. They didn't say anything about going undercover."  
  
"I'm not surprised. I was on the USS Theodore Roosevelt for about three months. I had managed to become close friends with Zafir. Somehow I thought I knew him, I started to trust him and got to know him as a gentle man. A man…" She stopped talking for a second and swallowed. For a second she looked up at Harm but she seemed to be staring right through him. "A man I could love. I fell for him, Harm. I was so convinced he was innocent until one day we were supposed to meet in his quarters. I was early and let myself in, I found his computer still on, he must have forgotten to turn it off. The curiosity got the better of me and I took a look at what program was running. He must have been negligent because he hadn't cleaned out the trash. There was an encrypted message which I found suspicious so I made a copy. I later decoded it and found it was a message requesting classified information about the weaponsystems aboard the carrier. The code was one the Iraqi government uses. Love does strange things, Harm. In my disbelief I hid the message, I wanted to confront him with it. To hear that it was all a misunderstanding, I don't know what I was thinking. I was only feeling, I guess." She didn't dare to look at Harm who was listening to her intently. Meg wondered what he was thinking. He was clenching his teeth together as he heard Megs story.  
  
"So what did he have to say in his defence?" Harm asked roughly when he saw Meg was pausing to find the right words to continue.  
  
"Nothing, he said he was a spy. He didn't even try to deny it. He said he loved me so much and that he wished things were different. I told him I hadn't let anyone know about the message and he convinced me to keep it that way. Zafir said he would be rewarded royally if he succeeded. Then we could go home to Iraq and built up a life without having to think about the war between our two countries. I believed him and did what he asked me to do. I was ready to give up my whole carrier for him. Only, my commanding officer saw us together and suspected something. They took me off the case and the same day they searched through my apartment and found the encrypted message. I knew it was only a matter of time before they would decode it and come to arrest me. I contacted Zafir and we left for Iraq the same day where I remained up till now." Meg took a deep breath, she was relieved that was over with. She didn't like telling this all to Harm but she had no choice. Harm on the other hand seemed everything but relieved. He remained immobile and was clenching his teeth together as he listened to his former partner.  
  
"That tells me how you got in Iraq. How about the rest? What happened between you and Zafir that you tried blowing up his superior officer?" Harms voice had an edge of anger. He fixed his eyes on Meg, she felt it burn deep inside her. She didn't want him to think he had betrayed everything she believed in, she was scared of what he might be thinking.  
  
"Things went well at first. But he lied, he didn't keep out of the war between Iraq and the US. Harm, I hated myself for betraying my country for a crush, cause that is what it was. A day didn't go by that I blamed myself for betraying every believe and value my parents, my friends and you had given to me and lived to uphold. If my father would know this, he died for the country I turned my back on for a … an infatuation. Harm not one time in my life did I ever expect to deceive my own beliefs in my country. So when Zafir told me two months ago about the plans of Admiral Umarah I…" She stopped for a second and looked into Harms eyes. She was looking for something there, maybe she wanted his support but she didn't think he would give it to her after hearing all this. Meg didn't blame him, he had lived for his country, he lost his father for it. Still when their eyes met in that brief moment she didn't find the hatred she thought she would. Instead she found compassion there. Meg wasn't sure if she deserved it.  
  
"What did the Admiral have planned?"  
  
"I can't tell you that here." She gestured towards the guards that were still in the cafeteria. Harm nodded annoyed that he understood. "After hearing that, I realised I had to put a stop to it. To repay my country, to make up for my treason. It was like I had been given a second chance. So when Zafir told me we were invited to a party at the Admirals house, I took my the opportunity with both hands and tried to plant a bomb in his room." Meg stopped, this was where her story finished. She wished it all made sense but she knew it didn't. It scared her to think that she might lose Harms friendship over it.  
  
Harm remained quiet, lost in his thoughts. He tried to comprehend the words Meg just sent in his direction but they just didn't make sense. This wasn't the Meg Austin he knew. This just couldn't be true. She had to be lying. "Damn it, Meg! That's nonsense. You want me to believe that?" He wanted to shout but he kept his voice soft because of the guards. Still the frustration in his tone wasn't to be mistaken.  
  
"It's all I can give you. Believe it or not! This is what happened and this is what you will be saying in court." Meg replied, she remained calm. She knew Harm didn't like this but he would have to be on her side in court.  
  
"What do you mean by that?" Harm asked, Meg could hear a tone of frustration hidden behind his words.  
  
"Nothing, make of it what you want. Harm, I'm sorry. This isn't what you wanted to hear but it's all that you will get from me." She replied stubbornly.  
  
"Meg, this is going to get you hanged." Harm said pleadingly, the edge in his voice fading away. He looked concerned at her.  
  
"I know." It was all she could reply, her voice seemed to fail on her so she had to whisper it. "I know, Harm. I know." She bowed her head and pressed her palms against her forehead. Her gesture was filled with despair and Harm cringed inwardly at the sight. He reached his both hands out and placed them gently on her wrists, softly pulling her hands away from her face.  
  
"Please, Meg. Let me help you." Harm whispered the words as he leaned in close to her over the table. He gently took her hands into his as he did so.  
  
His face only inches away from hers, Meg opened her eyes and met Harms for the second time since she had started to tell him what had happened. He saw a watery screen in front of her blue irises. "I'm sorry, Harm. But I can't let you help me." She loosened her right hand from Harms grip and placed it carefully on his cheek, pressing it gently against his warm skin. "I'm sorry," She said again, then she drew back her hands and pulled away from him.  
  
Harm got up straight away, his teeth clenched together. He felt angry but at the same time he was frustrated that Meg didn't seem to trust him to get her out of here. She wasn't going to allow him to help her. "I'll talk to you tomorrow," he said flatly, picking up his briefcase. He walked towards the guards, not waiting for Megs answer. His step was determined and didn't hide his annoyance.  
  
"Harm," Meg called after him.  
  
He turned around. "What?"  
  
"You forgot your bug." Meg held up the recorder in her hand. Harm turned on his heels and went to retrieve the device. As he took it from her hand, there fingers brushed gently against each other and their eyes met. Harm felt his anger flow away instantly as he saw the fear and hurt in Megs blue eyes.  
  
"When I make a promise, I stick to it whether or not my client likes it." He told her.  
  
Meg smiled. "I know you do, that's why I loved working with you. That's why I'm glad to have you here now." She let go of the recorder. "See you tomorrow, Commander."  
  
"Tomorrow, Lieutenant." He put the recorder in his pocket again and saluted her. Then he turned around and left the cafeteria.  
  
Wednesday 20:42 local time  
  
Admiral Seif al Dins residence  
  
A few miles outside Baghdad, Iraq  
  
Harm stretched out on his bed, he was finally starting to feel the lack of sleep catching up with him. Still, it wasn't time to sleep yet. Mac sat across from him in an armchair, her briefcase was lying on the table next to her. She was rummaging through it, looking for a pen.  
  
"So," she broke the silence and saw Harm jerk up his head. Apparently he had dozed off on the bed. "what did you find out?" Harm sat up on the bed. He placed his right hand over his eyes and rubbed his index and thumb over his lids till his fingers met on the ridge of his nose. With his other hand he grabbed the remote control of the television. He turned the TV on and tuned up the volume. The noises of an action movie filled the room, hopefully it would keep their eavesdroppers from hearing their conversation.  
  
"She basically kept to the story we got out of the files. Maybe you should just listen to the tape." He jerked the recorder out of his pocket and threw it at Mac. He had his teeth clenched together and his whole appearance seemed tight. "If you don't mind, I'm going to take a shower while you keep busy with that." He pointed his chin towards the recorder in Macs hand and then walked towards the bathroom.  
  
Harm slammed the door shut behind him making Mac cringe at the sound. *What the hell was wrong with him?* He had been moody ever since he got back from his conversation with Meg. Mac wondered what happened between them to get him like this. Well, she would find out soon. She reached over to her briefcase and got her walkman out of it to retrieve the headset. Before she put her headphones on, she turned off the overly loud television bringing silence back to the room.  
  
Harm walked out of the bathroom again about 45 minutes later. He saw Mac still sitting in the armchair listening to her headphones which she had plugged into his recorder. She pressed the key to make the tape stop as she saw him enter the room again. Mac took of her headphones and gave him a small smile. He replied with a short nod and sat down on the edge of his bed.  
  
"Have you listened to it all?" He asked softly, the tightness had left his voice and he seemed to have calmed down. Mac grinned to herself as she thought about how a cold shower could help a lot of men.  
  
"Yeah I did," she replied in an equally soft voice. Harm turned the television on again.  
  
"So?" He urged her to go on.  
  
"Her story seems to make sense," Mac said as leaned in closer to Harm to make sure he could understand her through the noises coming from the television. "I mean, it seems to confirm the files we got to see before we got here."  
  
"It fits too perfectly," Harm replied analysing the situation in his mind. "That is as long as you don't know Meg. I don't see her capable of doing the things she says. That's really not the Meg Austin I knew."  
  
"Love can do strange things to a person, Harm." Mac replied softly.  
  
"Yes, it can but not like this. Meg, she…" he stopped his sentence and shook his head. "I have never seen her like this. She seemed so broken, angry at herself. It was like she didn't dare to look me in the eyes." Mac noticed that her partner was more talking to himself than he was to her. She had noticed from the tape that Meg sounded disappointed in herself.  
  
"Harm, you didn't let me finish. Her story fits too perfectly yes but something else doesn't." Mac saw Harm look up at her with a questioning look. She opened her briefcase and handed him a pile of letters. "These are some of the letters they had found in Megs hotelroom. Now I haven't read them all yet but I read enough to tell you this: Meg Austin was definitely having an affair. Not one of these isn't a love letter."  
  
"These are love letters?" Harm looked at his partner in disbelieve. "Who are they from?"  
  
"That's the million dollar question. None of them are signed with a name, the signature is always the same: 'yours'."  
  
"Could they be from Zafir?" Harm picked up the first letter on the pile and started unfolding it.  
  
"It could but I think that would be very unlikely. Some of these talk about how much they miss each other while I don't get the impression that Meg and Zafir have ever been separated. Besides, some of these letters are very passionate, I don't think Meg and Zafir would be writing this when they could be carrying out their fantasies." Mac waited for a moment as her partner read the letter he had taken of the pile. She saw him clench his teeth together as he read along.  
  
"There doesn't seem to be a stamp or an address on the envelops." He said as he put the letter down next to him on the bed.  
  
"None of the letters have…"  
  
"So that means the person who wrote these is here in Baghdad." Mac merely nodded at Harms conclusion. "You know what strikes me?" He got an annoyed look from Mac urging him to just say what was on his mind. "This letter, this guy doesn't make any grammatical mistakes. Something you wouldn't expect from an Iraqi."  
  
"You think it's an American? Harm we have nothing whatsoever to support anything. These letters could be from Zafir. If they weren't…"  
  
"Megs whole story would be a lie." Harm finished Macs sentence.  
  
"That's what you want it to be, isn't it?" Mac looked her confused partner straight in the eye. He opened his mouth to reply but Mac cut him short. "Harm just sleep over it. I'll leave that pile here, I can't possibly get through them all on my own. I know Meg is your friend and you want to help her. Just keep in mind that everyone makes mistakes and maybe this is hers."  
  
Harm shot up from his bed. "What are you implying? That I can't remain objective? I know Meg, I know she didn't betray her country. Her father…" He stopped abruptly and gave Mac an angry glare. "I'm sure Admiral Chegwidden assigned us to this case for a reason. He is fully aware of my past with Meg Austin. He wouldn't have insisted on us handling this if he doubted my competence."  
  
Mac just nodded in agreement. "I'm sure he trusts you to handle this. That probably includes your ability to handle this as objectively as you can. Don't let your personal feelings get in the way. That wouldn't help Meg either." With that Mac decided it was time to return to her room. "And if you don't mind, I'm going to bed. I'm wiped out and I still want to read some of those letters."  
  
"Sure," Harm replied absentmindedly. "Goodnight, Mac." He sat down on the bed and took up another letter from his pile as soon as Mac closed the door behind her. Harm wasn't even sure whether or not Mac had returned his goodnight. His mind went back to the conversation he had with Meg. She had always been a loyal partner and friend and he always had suspected she would be as loyal in her love. Still, did that include giving up her own believes for that love? He shook the thoughts of and turned his attention to the pile of letters again.  
  
Wednesday 22:55 local time  
  
Admiral Seif al Dins residence  
  
A few miles outside Baghdad, Iraq  
  
It must have been the twentieth letter Harm had read this evening and he felt his eyes get heavy. Nevertheless his mind was racing and everything but tired. The conversation he had earlier with Meg was weighing heavy on his mind. Everything she had said seemed to confirm with the briefing he had from Admiral Chegwidden. The pieces fitted perfectly, if it weren't for the letters.  
  
He studied the letter he was holding. The first part was how about this 'yours' had missed Meg so much. There never seemed to be any information about the writer, he just said how much he missed her presence. Then the letters got very personal. Harm knew he wasn't shy when it came to sex but he felt uncomfortable reading these letters. The guy wrote very erotic describing what he longed for from Meg. Harm knew from the warmth in his face that he was blushing, something that really wasn't like him. On the other hand, he hated to think that this guy was able to write such intimate things to Meg. She had always seemed a very innocent and even shy girl and to have some guy write this stuff to her bothered Harm. Anyway, this wasn't the right time to get himself distracted by his feelings so Harm stopped his train of thoughts. Mac was right, he needed to remain objective, Meg depended on him.  
  
Once again he noticed how well the letter was written. This guys English was impeccable, he was sure not a lot of people in Baghdad controlled the language like this. Maybe this guy was American, or English. But there weren't a lot of Americans remaining in the country. He had to be either a journalist or a spy. But then again, maybe it was Zafir who wrote these. He did serve as a petty officer aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt. Harm just knew that he had to find out who wrote these letters. If they weren't Zafirs that meant Meg was having an affair and that she didn't go to Iraq with Zafir because she loved him so much. Harm knew that Meg would give up a lot for her true love but if she was having a lover on the side, this wasn't the love she would betray her country for. The only thing he could do right now was go to sleep and ask her in the morning. 


	5. Part Five

Authors note: My apologies that I have kept you all waiting so long for this next part. Some things have just been demanding my attention. I have been working hard on my own fan fiction archive that only has JAG stories involving Meg Austin. This story and many others are archived there so if you are a Meg Austin fan drop by at http://users.skynet.be/semperarchive. Thanks for your patience and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story!  
  
PART FIVE  
  
Thursday 8:30 local time A secret prison outside Baghdad, Iraq.  
  
Harm and Mac sat waiting on a bench in the cafeteria for the arrival of their client Meg Austin. Both lawyers had spent the night reading the pile of love letters and both had found nothing whatsoever to help the case along. The only chance they seemed to have right now was finding out who had written the letters. If it was Zafir, they knew they would still have nothing to help Meg out. If it was somebody else, they didn't have a clue where the case could lead them.  
  
Finally, the metal door to the mess slid open and two guards entered with Meg Austin between them. She looked tired and pale, like her lawyers she hadn't been able to get a lot of sleep last night. Meg had spent the night tossing and turning wondering what Harm and his partner would be able to do to get her out of this place. One of the guards escorted her to the table where Harm and Mac were sitting. As she sat down in front of them, the guard released her handcuffs and then took his place next to his colleague at the entrance to the cafeteria.  
  
"Goodmorning, Harm, Major MacKenzie." She nodded and gave both officers a pale smile as they returned her greeting.  
  
"Did you sleep alright?" Harm asked seeing her tiredness, concern in his voice.  
  
"No, but you might as well put me up in the Plaza and I wouldn't have closed an eye." She stifled a yawn to confirm her words. Harm just nodded understanding all too well what she was saying.  
  
"Meg, we got to ask you some questions." Mac started, making an end to the small talk. She waited a second and then went on when Meg looked up at her. "First of all, we want to ask you something about Abdul-Aziz Zafir."  
  
"Go ahead," Meg replied. Harm saw her getting tense, he couldn't remember ever seeing her so suspicious.  
  
Mac continued her questioning. "We were wondering how close you were with Zafir. If you spent a lot of time together. That sort of thing."  
  
Meg cocked her head as she looked at Mac, trying to calculate where this question was going. "Well as I said: we were lovers. There were moments we practically lived together, I still made sure I had a hotelroom I could return to though. Sometimes Zafir would get called away and I didn't like staying alone at his house. The staff there didn't really like me so when he left I used to go back to my hotel."  
  
"Did he have to go on missions a lot?" Mac asked.  
  
"Depends, sometimes he would be at home for a couple of months then he would be called away for an equal long time." Meg replied simply not understanding where this was going.  
  
"Did you stay in close contact when he was on a mission?" Harm was the one asking the question now.  
  
"No, most of the time there was no way of communicating." She replied flatly, looking at Harm with a frown on her forehead.  
  
Harm and Mac looked at each other exchanging thoughts it seemed. "Then can you explain these?" Harm took a small pile of letters out of his briefcase and placed them in front of Meg. He kept his eyes on her to see her reaction.  
  
She eyed the letters, not even considering having a close look at them. Meg knew exactly what those letters were. "Are you trying to set me up? You're supposed to defend me, Harm." She said with a reproaching tone in her voice. "If you want to know, those are Zafirs. He wrote them when he was on his missions. He had no way of sending them to me so he handed them over the moment he returned."  
  
"That would explain it if these letters weren't on a very regular basis. But there isn't a week when you didn't get a letter." Harm remarked sharply.  
  
"Honestly, Harm. I don't know how much letters we wrote. I never really paid attention to it. These letters have nothing to do with my being here so I suggest you go look from something else to defend me. This really is a waste of time, unless you enjoy looking into my private life." Meg sounded annoyed, she kept her blue eyes fixed on Harm. The last remark seemed to be an accusation.  
  
"Meg, we just want to help. We can't do that unless you tell us everything." Mac spoke gently, she noticed the personal remark in what Meg had just said. Whatever it was between Meg and Harm, they would have to fight it out after the trial.  
  
Meg looked away from Harm. "I'm sorry, I'm just stressed out. There just is nothing to say in my defence. The letters won't help you out and neither will anything else. I am fully aware of my actions and I stand by them. I really don't know why you were assigned to this. It's a sinking ship." Meg let her defences down as she spoke. She was tired and she wanted to go home. From the way things were looking she didn't believe she would ever get back.  
  
It was Harm who spoke again. "Meg, we're going to get you off on time. Now please, tell me who wrote these letters. We all know what it means if these aren't Zafirs. The prosecution will ask Zafir, I'm sure. We can't afford to be faced with surprises in court."  
  
"Harm!" Meg interrupted his pleading. "Those letters are from Zafir! Even if he denies it, and I wouldn't be surprised if he did, he still wrote them! Now please, give it a rest. Chances are this case will never make it to court anyway. And if it does, I'm sure there is a better way to defend me than with some stupid love letters."  
  
"Like the reason why you tried to assassinate General Umarah." Mac concluded, she caught an examining glance from Harm.  
  
Meg nodded. "Would stand better in court than a bunch of love letters."  
  
"Not if you don't tell us what that reason was." Harm looked Meg in the eye, pleading with her to tell him what was really going on.  
  
"I can't, not here, Harm. I'm sorry. This might be the best that Rafiq can do but it is not enough." She nodded towards the guards at the door.  
  
"It might have to do," Mac reasoned. "I think Rafiq is speaking the truth when he says this is the best he can do. We'll just have to settle for this."  
  
Meg looked Mac in her eyes. "I'm not discussing this in front of these guards. No matter how far away they are or what Rafiq says. He'll have to do better." She spoke making up her mind, clenching her jaws together after she had spoken to make it clear she wasn't changing her mind.  
  
"Meg, I understand why you don't want to tell us here. But if indeed this is the closest we can get to a private conversation, we don't have a choice." Harm tried reasoning with Meg who just shook her head no. Any further arguing was stopped by Rafiq who entered the cafeteria.  
  
"I'm sorry to interrupt but we had a phonecall from Admiral Chegwidden." The young officer reported.  
  
"Where can we take it?" Mac quickly asked.  
  
"The Admiral did not want to speak to you here. He asked me to organise you a transport to the French embassy. They have agreed to put a satellite connection at your disposal. He will call you there in an hour and a half so I suggest you leave right away."  
  
"You are not coming with us?" Harm asked the Iraqi officer.  
  
"No, I am afraid not. I have other duties to attend to but I have written down the address of the embassy for you. You just give this note to the driver and he will take you there." He handed Harm a note that had the address of the embassy written down in both English and Arabic.  
  
Harm put the note in his pocket and then turned his attention to Meg. "I'm sorry," he said with an apologetic smile. "We'll be back in the afternoon though."  
  
"That will not be possible." Rafiq broke the promise Harm was making. "Every Thursday the prisoners get to go through a medical examination while their cells are searched to make sure they have no forbidden goods. You will have to wait to visit again until tomorrow. We can not spare the guards for this."  
  
Mac smiled at Rafiq. "We do not even need these guards. It's not like Meg Austin is going to attack us. I'm sure there would be no harm in letting us have a private conversation with our client."  
  
Rafiq laughed. "Nice try, Major. If it were up to me, I would not mind. I'm afraid I do not have the authorisation to decide about this though. You will just have to wait until tomorrow." With that he closed the argument, his posture telling Mac that he was not going to change his mind no matter how sweetly she smiled at him.  
  
Harm felt reluctant about leaving Meg alone for the rest of the day. Knowing she had already disappeared for two weeks didn't help either. He remembered being in the Chinese prison and how agonising it had been believing he would never get out again, that no one knew where he was. At least Meg now knew that her government knew her whereabouts and would help her get out. He took her hand in his and squeezed it reassuringly.  
  
"We'll see you tomorrow then. In the meanwhile try to think of something that could help our investigation along."  
  
Meg nodded sadly. Being locked up in her cell the whole day wasn't something she was looking forward to. Even though she didn't like the circumstances they were in, she had found herself looking forward to the distraction.  
  
Noticing her disappointed look, Harm leaned in close and whispered to Meg. "We will get you out of here, Meg. Even if it's the last thing I'll do."  
  
Meg smiled. "I know, Harm. I'll talk to you tomorrow." She wanted to believe him.  
  
Mac waited for Harm to get up until she rose herself. She smiled reassuringly at Meg. "Until tomorrow."  
  
"Tomorrow," Meg answered. She watched the two lawyers leave the room together with Rafiq. Patiently she waited for the two guards to lead her back to her prisoncell. She wondered if she would have to get used to this.  
  
Thursday 10:45 local time French Embassy Baghdad, Iraq.  
  
Harm and Mac sat waiting patiently in one of the rooms of the French Embassy. The French were one of the three countries who still had an embassy in Iraq. As the USA wasn't one of those it seemed Admiral Chegwidden had been able to persuade the French of lending them their secure satellite connection.  
  
Mac watched Harm who seemed to be lost in his thoughts. They hadn't discussed their conversation with Meg Austin yet. There wasn't really anything to discuss, anyway. They didn't get anything of importance out of Meg. Only that there was a good reason for why she tried to assassinate General Umarah. Still, even that didn't get them anywhere as she had refused to tell them what that reason was. Then there were the letters. Meg had assured them they were Zafir's. Mac wasn't sure that she was telling the truth though. Up till now her story had fitted together perfectly but those letters just didn't match the rest of the story. At the point where Harm had suggested that the letters couldn't be Zafir's, Meg had gotten defensive. Mac just knew that there was more about them than she was letting them know.  
  
Harm seemed to have sensed Mac's thoughts. "You think she was lying, don't you?" He stated it more than he was asking.  
  
"I'm not sure. It just doesn't go with the rest of her story. She got way too agitated when you suggested she wasn't telling the truth. I think she is hiding something, or covering up."  
  
"Covering up what?" Harm looked at Mac asking for an answer.  
  
"I don't know. She needs to tell us." Mac grimaced, Meg wasn't really co- operating with them.  
  
Any further thoughts were cut of by a young French man who entered the room. "Good day," he nodded as he wasn't familiar with the military ranks he decided it might be best to totally ignore them. "If you would follow me. We are about to establish a connection with the JAG headquarters." The man spoke in a broken English, a thick French accent sounding through.  
  
Harm and Mac followed him into another office. There was a large television screen in front of a naked table. Two chairs were placed behind the table, facing the screen. A middle aged man was bowed over some devices and seemed to be talking to himself. The guy who had brought them there indicated the chairs, wanting them to take a seat. Mac closely followed by her partner, took a seat. Harm on the other hand didn't sit down but watched the screen. The French technician wasn't talking to himself but to an American colleague. It didn't take long for Harm to recognise Admiral Chegwidden's office.  
  
The technicians seemed to be contented and held their thumbs up to each other. The American soon disappeared out of the screen and the French turned around. "Everything is ready to go. You'll just need these." He handed them two headsets with microphone. He left the room followed by the guy who brought them there. "We'll be in the hall if something goes wrong." He said before closing the door.  
  
Harm and Mac took the headphones and put them on and at the same time Chegwidden walked before the screen. He nodded at his two star lawyers. "This seemed to be the only way to get a secure connection." The Admiral explained.  
  
"We understand, sir. It's hard to get some privacy here." Harm answered with his arms folded in front of his chest.  
  
Chegwidden understood right away what his officer was implying. "I take it you have been experiencing trouble to speak with Lieutenant Austin." Force of habit kicked in as he still referred to Meg with her military ranking.  
  
"Yes, sir. We managed to get a bit more privacy but she is refusing to work with us unless she can be one hundred percent sure that no one is listening in. Which seems to be impossible here." Mac explained, sounding a bit annoyed with their situation.  
  
"So what did you manage to find out up till now?" Chegwidden frowned as this didn't sound good. He hoped this wasn't as bad as Mac seemed to imply.  
  
"Not much, sir." It was Harm again who replied now. "Meg doesn't deny anything and says she is guilty of the attempt to assassinate General Umarah. She told us that the only way to defend her was the reason why she tried to kill him but she doesn't want to tell us that as the walls have ears." Harm sighs.  
  
Mac nodds. "Next to that we only have found some love letters that she claims are from her boyfriend Admiral Zafir. The whole story about the letters is shaky though. I wouldn't be surprised if they were from her secret admirer." She explained further.  
  
"I find it hard to believe that, sir." Harm countered. "Meg Austin wouldn't turn her back on her country for someone and then go cheat on them."  
  
"How can you be sure of that, Harm?" Mac looked at him. "This isn't the Meg Austin you worked with."  
  
Chegwidden couldn't help but smile at the two quarrelling officers. "I pulled some strings and even if I agree with you, Commander Rabb, she isn't telling the complete truth."  
  
Harm and Mac looked back at the screen and threw Chegwidden a questioning look but the answer wouldn't come from him. A middle aged man came in view who Harm immediately recognised as Megs friend Ollie. He nodded at both Harm and Mac. "Admiral Chegwidden is right, Meg is lying." Ollie spoke calmly.  
  
Harm walked closer to the screen. "Ok, what is she lying about and why?" He asked, everyone seemed to know more about this than he did.  
  
"Meg isn't acting on her own behalf." Ollie started explaining. "She was sent there on a mission. Now she is paying the prize for it. She got caught and she will have to burn for it. You're her only chance, the both of you." He looked from Harm to Mac and back again. "She was supposed to get a civilian lawyer who would buy her false story and let her rot in an Iraqi prison."  
  
"What was the mission then?" Harm looked at Ollie starting to understand a bit more.  
  
"I'm not even sure of that. The orders were given from high above." Ollie said with sadness in his voice. Even with all his high connections he hadn't been able to get to the bottom of this. "The only reason how I know is that she contacted me the day she left for Iraq."  
  
"There is one person who knows though." Another voice interrupted Ollie's explanation. AJ motioned to someone who was standing outside the screen and a second later a man came into view. "Webb." Harm groaned a bit annoyed, somehow the CIA agent always seemed to turn up when they were investigating a what you could call 'messy' case.  
  
"Pleased to see you too, Commander Rabb." Clayton Webb had noticed the annoyance in Harms voice. He ignored it as usual and went on with what he was saying. "Meg was supposed to be working together with another spy."  
  
"Can we get in contact with him?" Harm asked quickly.  
  
Webb shook his head. "He or she, we don't know anything about the spy, always contacts us. But whatever Meg was trying to accomplish by getting Umarah killed, chances are that the spy knew about it."  
  
"I take it that spy was the one who finally did kill Umarah." Harm concluded, Webb just nods in agreement. "Is there really no way to contact him?" Their only hope now seemed to be that spy, just maybe he knew of something that could help them out.  
  
Webb shook his head again. "No, Rabb. You can't. But it is very likely that he already knows that you are there and that he will try to contact you."  
  
"So basically you want us to just sit and wait." Harm glared at Webb, he didn't want to sit and wait for a spy that might or might not turn up.  
  
Webb shrugged. "Seems like it, doesn't it?"  
  
"We can't afford to wait." Harm sighed.  
  
"Rabb, didn't Meg leave you a letter?" Ollie suddenly interrupted them all.  
  
"What?" Harm looked at him confused.  
  
"Meg told me that she left you a goodbye note but that most likely you wouldn't know the true nature of the letter. She asked me that if something happened to her I should inform you about the true nature so you could read it." Ollie explained.  
  
Harms brow furrowed as he tried to understand what letter Ollie could mean. Suddenly it hit him. "I did find a letter addressed to her on my desk shortly after she left. I wanted to sent or give it to her but I never found out where she was transferred to. Could that be it?"  
  
Ollie nodded. "Probably. Where do you keep the letter?"  
  
Although Harm never really was good with his paperwork, he knew right. "Top drawer of my night table. Bud could get it, he has the key to my apartment as I asked him to water my plants." He quickly replied. "Sir, can you send him to go get it? Maybe there is some important information in it that can help our case along."  
  
Chegwidden nodded. "I'll send him right away. We'll fax it through to the embassy as soon as we have it."  
  
"Thank you, sir." Harm smiled, just maybe this was their first step in the right direction. But that wasn't the only thing that relieved him. Meg hadn't really left him without even saying goodbye. She left on a secret mission and she had left him an explanation in case she never made it back.  
  
"Well, we better round this off then." Chegwidden broke of Harms thoughts. "I suggest you both wait there until you get the fax." He pursed his lips in thoughts and then talked again. "Get her home, Rabb. I don't care what it takes. SecNav wants this case closed by saturday evening."  
  
Mac looked at Chegwidden in shock. "Saturday evening, sir? That's three days, we haven't even heard anything about when the trial is supposed to be represented in court."  
  
Chegwidden sighed. "I know, Colonel. That is the whole point, they don't want this to go to court. You're supposed to make a deal."  
  
"A deal?" Harm asked, as shocked as Mac. "But sir, whatever deal we get to make, it will be in the favour of the Iraqi's, not Meg Austin."  
  
"I know, Commander." Chegwidden sighs. "That's why I said get her out of there no matter what. I don't care if you need a SEAL team to help you. I'll personally will come over if I have to." He added determined. "Someone wants to cover this whole thing up, no matter what the prize is for Lt Austin. But I'll be damned if I let them."  
  
"Sir, I'll do anything that I can do." Harm promised as determined.  
  
"I know, Commander. Now if you'll excuse me. I have to go talk to Lt Roberts."  
  
"Aye, sir." Harm and Mac said simultaneously and they both jump to attention and salute their CO.  
  
Chegwidden returned the salute. "Good luck to you both." With that the connection was severed and the screen in front of them had turned black. For a long time both Harm and Mac just stared at it, trying to make sense of all the new information. Still, it all didn't make much sense to them and the only light they could see ahead was what they would find in the goodbye letter Meg had left for Harm.  
  
TBC 


End file.
